Cookie Store
by Gothic-Romantic99
Summary: Watari takes a seven-year-old L to the mall while doing some Christmas shopping. L comes across the cookie store. Cute, fluffy oneshot.


Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.

Author's Note: This is just a little, fluffy family oneshot of child L and Watari. I'm not sure at what age L came to Wammy's, but for the sake of this story it's set almost a year after his arrival and he is now seven. Hopefully they aren't too OOC, and if they are please let me know so I can fix it.

Warnings: Cute fluffiness!

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><p>It was the recently turned seven-year-old's first time in a mall since his arrival at Wammy's last winter. It had almost been a year. It had been a hard year for the boy. He was not heavily liked by the other children and being so young it was a difficult transition for the child, especially one so eccentric. Fortunately Mr. Wammy was kind and catered to his needs as best he could. With Christmas being less than a month away, L found himself at the mall with the one person in his life he could trust.<p>

The Christmas decorations hung from the ceiling. The child stared at the glittering mesh of greens and reds. Every once in a while silver and white would be added for some extra color. In the center of the mall there was a man in a Santa costume whom the children were excited to meet. Watari suggested that L stand in the line, but the boy shook his head, refusing to go anywhere near the impostor (as if the fake beard could fool someone with a sharp eye such as L). The two walked on by the Santa stage which was nicely decorated to look like a winter wonderland. Even the genius child had to admit the snow looked real.

L was not a fan of snow, but he did like how the winter holidays consisted of so much color. More than the decorations and presents the kids received on Christmas day, it was the holiday treats that he most looked forward to. Mr. Wammy was more than generous when it came to desserts. When L was extremely well-behaved his caretaker occasionally snuck him cookies and cakes before dinner. However nothing could beat fresh from the oven Christmas cookies with extra sugar sprinkles like his mother used to make. Just thinking of the treat made the child's mouth water and eyes nearly tear up.

Popular Christmas carols rang through the mall's sound system as L walked beside his foster father through the masses of people. They just left from L's pediatrician not thirty minutes ago when they stopped at the enormous building for a hopefully quick stop. L's eyes widened when he saw how many stories this particular mall consisted of. The parking deck alone had seven levels. The many sights, sounds, and smells would overwhelm normal children, but L had trained himself since his arrival at the orphanage not to be distracted by anything. However, even he faltered when he saw the spectacle that was this mall.

Watari knew L was not too fond of crowds, but he needed to make a stop at the shopping mall for a specific gift two children asked for, and they had been way too good that year to be denied the toy. With his busy schedule over the next months it was the only time he would have a chance to stop before the stores became super crazy with Christmas shoppers. He learned ten years ago to never go shopping on the day that was dubbed Black Friday.

Watari took hold of L's tiny hand as the two walked into the packed toy store. L pulled hoping that the older man would release and allow him to explore on his own rather than drag him along. Watari complied, only after giving the child a quick, yet stern warning of staying inside the store and not to talk with strangers.

L nodded then rushed over to where there was a vertical rack of lollipops. The boy's panda eyes widened as he surveyed the vast selection of flavors. He hoped he could talk Watari into buying him a few treats. After having to endure two shots at the doctor's office with minimal crying he felt he deserved a few lollies, despite the fact that he was given one by the receptionist when Watari paid the bill.

The child looked over to see his caretaker coming his way. L had grown bored with the store and was more than ready to leave.

"Come on, Ryuzaki, only one more stop to make," Watari said taking hold of the boy's hand while he held a plastic bag in the other. While they were out in public they always made sure to use their aliases just in case.

The two walked through the strip. L's eyes fell on the window displays of each store. The Wammy children were not allowed outside often, so it was a treat for one to step inside a mall. The other kids would be jealous to find out that L got to go shopping. He feared that one of them would threaten him for that since the majority of them were already envious of the amount of care and devotion Watari gave him. It was even spoken that Mr. Wammy viewed L as his own son. L made a mental note to never let any of the others know they went anywhere other than the doctor's office.

Watari stopped suddenly when a bracelet on a jewelry cart caught his eye. One of the girls had taken a liking to that style of bracelets. He smiled down at L who was still looking around in awe. The boy glanced over to see his father-figure smiling at him. L gave that adorable, rare smile that could melt the heart of the toughest brute. The two crossed over to the cart.

L glanced over the jewelry for a few seconds before his interest waned. It was then his nostrils picked up that familiar scent. He looked over to find a cookie store just two stalls over. He glanced up at Watari who was talking with the clerk then turned his attention back to the shop. He analyzed his choices and figured that he was still in viewing and hearing range of his caretaker before running off.

L placed his hands on the glass and stared at the assortment of cookies with a wide smile. So many flavors: chocolate chip, sugar, pumpkin, gingerbread, peanut butter. He glanced up on the second shelf to find several selections of brownies and fudge. L was not picky when it came to sweets. As long as it contained sugar he was happy.

The saleswoman looked over the counter to find the content child staring at the many sweets. She giggled at the adorable sight. So many children approached the counter every day, but none ever looked as joyful as this one.

"Hey there, sweetie," the lady, whose nametag read Harriet, said to the boy. L glanced up when he realized she was talking to him. She had a smile that reminded him of his mothers. It almost made him sad to see that kind grin. "Where's your parents?" she asked. In her three years of working at the cookie shop she had seen too many children run off from their parents when their eyes caught the dessert.

L looked down at his feet and mumbled something.

"What was that?" she asked.

L looked up with those wide panda eyes. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," the child said in a meek voice, somewhat ashamed that he was disobeying Watari's orders at the moment.

Harriet chuckled. "You are an adorable child," she said. L slightly blushed at the compliment. Harriet glanced around hoping to catch a glimpse of someone who remotely resembled the boy before her. "Where are your parents?" she asked more to herself than the boy.

Before L had the chance to give her the bad news regarding his parents he heard someone calling his fake name.

"Ryuzaki!" Watari yelled, kneeling down before the boy. He gently gripped L's shoulders. "Don't you ever run away from me like that again." The instant L's eyes showed remorse the older man pulled the boy in close for a hug. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, Ryuzaki, but I was so worried," he said.

L nodded and apologized.

"Why did you run off?" Watari asked. "Do you know what could've happened?"

At that moment L could have given the probability that he could have been kidnapped, hurt, or other horrible consequences, but he was too focused on having one of the sweets sepereated from him by only a thin layer of glass.

"Cookies," L said pointing to the treats behind the glass. Watari sighed then shook his head at what had been the driving force behind L's disappearance. L widened his adorable eyes and gave that cute smile that hypnotized Watari into giving him whatever he wanted. "Can I have a cookie, please?" he asked in a super cute tone.

Watari chuckled. There was no way he could say no to that face. He pet L's hair then turned to Harriet.

"May I have two sugar cookies, please?" he asked, knowing the type L liked most. L's eyes widened and he happily gasped, increasing his smile more than it already was. His dark eyes followed the cookie's every move as it was lifted from its display spot, placed into the bag, then handed to the elderly man. Watari smiled at L then handed him the bag.

The boy grabbed the bag then wrapped his arms around Watari's waist. The latter placed an arm around L's shoulder as the boy reached into the bag to grab the first of his treasures. He took a large bite, causing a few crumbs to fall to his feet. Several beads of white sugar stuck to his lip. That cookie tasted almost like the ones his mother used to make for him, only nowhere as tasty.

Watari thanked Harriet then returned his attention to the smiling child.

Even though he should not allow the boy to eat too many sweets, it was worth it to see the kid smile. With the amount of pain he had to go through in his young life, he was willing to do anything to make the rest of L's life less painful, even if that meant feeding him only cookies, candies, and pastries every day for the rest of his life.

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><p>There you have it. I imagine a little L would run off if he saw cookies. Hopefully you all enjoyed this little story and that it wasn't too OOC. Thanks for reading. Have a lovely day!<p> 


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